Archives for April 2014

Norwich University Assistant Commandant William Passalacqua still remembers what it is like to be the leader of the NU Corps of Cadets, and after 25 years he still understands the importance of trust and respect in relationships.

He was not just the cadet colonel, but also once a 22-year-old college student who made a decision to take the high-ranking position within the Corps.

Now, in his position as assistant commandant in an executive position in the university administration, Passalacqua has the job of looking after the members of the regimental staff as well as assuring the structure of the Corps is upheld. In that role, he has recently changed the policy on fraternization in the Corps of Cadets, a move that has created some controversy on campus. [Read more…]

In light of recent rumors about budget cuts at Norwich University, students are expressing concerns that a tightened budget will affect their daily activities.

For students in the Norwich University Corps of Cadets (NUCC), the top concern is a rumored funding cut for the Cavalry Troop. However, Cavalry Troop has not been specifically targeted, according to Norwich University President Richard W. Schneider.

“Right now we are in a position where you guys can’t afford everything we are delivering,” said Schneider. Schneider explained that even with a rise in tuition next year, the administration still needs to cut around $1 million from the budget. [Read more…]

It’s a Saturday night and the bars are filled with people, mostly college-aged students enjoying a night out on the town with friends. After a few alcoholic beverages, the intoxicated 21-year-old brain may decide that the connected body is OK enough to still drive.After jumping in the car with keys in hand, the ignition turns, the car is put into drive, and a buzzed journey begins down the road. Body and mind are relaxed, reaction time has been slowed, and the car begins to drift over the yellow line and back.

All of sudden flashing police lights fill the night sky, a sight almost blinding as glazed eyes adjust, and a siren pierces the otherwise tranquil evening. As the car pulls to the side of the road, all our driver can think is ‘What now?’

Six Norwich students found themselves in a situation similar to this one, out of a total of 39 DUI’s in the Northfield community last year. Those figures are in the 2013 Annual Report to the Community, which is prepared by Northfield Police Chief James Dziobek. [Read more…]

On March 18, 2014, a mass email was sent out to the entire Norwich community discussing “Northfield residents’ concerns about Norwich University’s students’ off -campus behavior,” according to the administrator who penned the notice.

The letter from Brig. Gen. Frank Vanecek, Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs (VPSA), stated that students who are “patronizing local businesses or visiting off-campus residences” are causing issues with residents in the downtown Northfield area because of “incidences of noise, vandalism and overall disrespect increase in the community”. [Read more…]

A much loved sociology professor, Dr. Wendy Fuller, is leaving Norwich at the end of this semester.

Every student here at Norwich University has to take a sociology class as part of their degree requirement, but one sociology professor had a big impact on the student population. Dr. Wendy Fuller, Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology, will not be returning in the fall to teach her trademark class, Race and Cultural Minorities, as well as the rest of her course lineup.

Dr. Fuller was raised nearby in Warren, Vt., and attended St. Michaels College, earning a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology and a minor in World Religious Studies. “I’ve always known that this is what I’ve wanted to do,” said Fuller. “I’m very interested in how the world works and I am fascinated in why people do the things that they do.” [Read more…]

A NU FacOps golf cart provides the staff easy access to tools, while being cost effective to provide mobility around campus.

Employees of the Facilities Operations (FacOps) department at Norwich University work long hours balanced by benefits that outshine packages offered by other employers, say staffers there.

“(Norwich has) a great benefit package between health insurances and retirements and the vacations that they give us and the amount of sick (leave) that they give us,” said Hollis Rocker, who serves as NU’s Supervisor of Grounds, Transportation and Vehicle Maintenance.

Larry Hopper, a custodian at NU, agrees that the benefit package is indispensable. “Where I worked before, any benefit you had you got a group rate but you paid the whole thing,” Hopper said. “Norwich has a fairly good benefits package, I took a $1 pay cut to come here and within a year I was probably making 50 cents to a $1 an hour more and now I’m making, excluding the benefits package, I probably make $3 an hour more than my old job.” [Read more…]

A sign shows the consequences of parking in the wrong spot on campus. Some students complain that enforcement goes beyond what is needed and reasonable.

It is a simple task, according to Wesley Booth, a 22-year-old senior criminal justice major from Pahrump, Nev. Just follow the rules and you won’t get ticketed.

Booth says he has never received a parking ticket from Norwich University in his four years attending the school because he “knows how to park in-between lines.”

There are a lot of others students whose experience has been very different, especially recently. Many students who live on campus have been complaining that security staff are handing out parking tickets and towing cars more than before, sometimes unnecessarily.

Tyler Scheppler, a 20-year-old junior criminal justice major from Lubbock, Texas, has received around five parking tickets in the last year since having a vehicle on campus. Most of the times he was “just parking in overnight parking and the bottom lot of Crawford,” he said. [Read more…]

Norwich Baseball opened its season over spring break in Vero Beach, Fla., with aspirations of improving from last year’s Cinderella run to the GNAC (Great Northeast Athletic Conference) playoffs, for the first time since 2010.

Last season marked a huge step in the right direction for the Cadets, as the previous two seasons (2011 and 2012) combined for a mere 6 wins. In the 2013 season, the Cadets finished with an overall record of 9-20, and a conference record of 7-9.

Strong senior leadership from players like Dustin Shimkus and a strong freshman class are two major reasons why the Cadets had an improved performance last season.

However, the largest reason many cite for the increased success was the addition of former Northfield High School coach Frank Pecora. [Read more…]

Snow around Sabine field tells the story – spring sports have had a slow start thanks to the cool, snowy spring.

When winter decides it wants to hang around for a few more weeks, it is generally met with distaste, especially in Vermont, where the winters are already brutal and frigid. However, no group has to deal with this problem more than spring season athletes.

It is not an easy thing to be a softball, baseball, or lacrosse player for Norwich. The idea of a home-field advantage, a key aspect of any organized sport, is severely compromised year after year because of the weather.

Most years, the winter season in central Vermont is long, but this year seems particularly excessive, with snow lasting well into April. [Read more…]